Becky Robinson's Blog, page 85

Best Book Launch Tips: Gather a Library of Content

Chances are, if you’ve written and published a (business) book, you’re an experienced content creator.

Over the years, you’ve written articles or blog posts, curriculum, newsletters, training materials, assessments, keynote speeches, or workbooks. Or perhaps you’ve created video content or recorded podcasts and webinars.

Whatever the medium, I find it impossible to imagine a world in which you’ve written a business book but have not also, along the way, created a lot of other valuable material in developing your ideas, voice, and expertise.

The good news: while the content you’ve created in the past may not be new to you, many of the people who follow you online have never seen/heard/read it.

While you may have created content that would print on reams of paper, you likely don’t have it organized in a way that is ready for sharing across the web. You may have it shoved in drawers, collected on floppy disks, or stored on a dusty external hard drive.

As you prepare to launch your book, I encourage you to organize your previously created content so that you can systematically repurpose and share it online . This is a valuable activity that will help you in establishing yourself  as a thought leader. Though it may seem like an overwhelming and tedious task, you will position yourself to be more consistent in your online efforts.

Your content library doesn’t need to be fancy. My team uses a multi-page spreadsheet on Google Drive to organize our clients’ content social media strategies and content creation efforts.

The content library can be one page of your larger system in organizing your online presence.

Just create a spreadsheet and add title, type of content, link for any blog posts, articles, or videos you have on the web. If your content exists elsewhere, on a hard drive or in a paper file, indicate that on your spreadsheet as well.  Categorize your content and consider which categories are most relevant to your current book project. If you include a category, you can also sort by category to identify areas for future content development.

Once you’ve organized your past content, you can implement a system for planning future content — an editorial calendar. And you can use the content in your library as you plan and share content through social media channels.

Tell me something! Do you have a system for gathering the content you’ve created? What has worked for you? What other ideas can you share?

photo credit Yuri Levchenko

A Leadership Lesson from the Jumbo-tron at Miller Park

Have you ever noticed what happens when people appear on the jumbo-tron in a sports arena?

Suddenly, in that moment of recognition, they become more: they smile bigger; their faces light up; they make silly faces or dance. When a spotlight shines on people, they become their most beautiful, most energetic, and best selves.

I spent Saturday at Miller Park with my family, watching the Brewers lose (boo!) and observing people’s reactions to appearing on camera. One happy bride-to-be appeared on camera several times with her bachelorette party friends. Even the repeated on camera exposure did not diminish her excitement.

The almost instantaneous and universal reaction displays one important lesson for leaders. When you give people positive attention, they will become more of their best selves.

Who doesn’t love being asked to talk about themselves? Their dreams? Their aspirations? Their likes and dislikes?

Who wouldn’t appreciate a kind, listening ear?

Can you slow down enough to put the spotlight upon someone else? To let them shine? To give them a moment to express themselves uniquely in the moment? How can you create jumbo-tron moments in your organization, giving people positive attention and recognition?

 

Avoiding Legal Pitfalls on Social Media

With all the rage about social media these days, it’s easy to get hyped up about it. After all, if you have an email account, in a few simple clicks you can create a user name and password to just about any online platform and, before you know it, you’re broadcasting to the world! It’s exciting and fun, yes, but not without its challenges.

Most who spend time on social media soon learn the fundamentals of appropriate online behavior, ranging from basic netiquette to maintaining proper privacy settings. Yet, there are some not so foreseeable legal pitfalls you might encounter, as well, and this blog post aims to offer guidance on a few of those so that your social media experience can be more rewarding.

Know Who You Represent

Whether you are a professional in a service field, identified with a high profile brand, or volunteer for a local non-profit, adhering to the social media policies and laws related to the organizations you represent is essential. Posts or pictures that are associated with trademarks, professions, or brands subject you to the social media policies and laws governing related organizations and, if those policies or laws are not adhered to, could put you in a legal crunch. To avoid this pitfall, make sure to read and observe the social media and legal policies of the organizations you represent online.

Do Not Post About Your Legal Matters

If you or an organization you represent is involved in an ongoing legal matter, whether as a party, a witness, a jury person, or otherwise, don’t post anything about it online. Really. Don’t! Once you do, that post becomes evidence and is subject to discovery. Removing it also subjects you to charges, fines, and penalties. Therefore, rather than taking your legal matter online, leave it to the justice system to handle. Period.

The World Is Not So Small

While social media outlets seem to make the world within reach to anyone with a computer and internet access, if you’re faced with a legal challenge in Hawaii when you live in rural West Virginia, the world can become a pretty big place. Trying to defend cases related to your online activities in jurisdictions miles away can be costly and stressful. Purposefully availing yourself to another jurisdiction in your posts and online agreements may subject you to a long distance legal fight. To avoid this pitfall, avoid promoting activity online that targets those outside of jurisdictions where you intend to be subjected and read terms of service on sites you regularly utilize so that you know when you’re agreeing to a jurisdiction outside of your own.

Generally speaking, by using some common sense, being nice, and heeding your mom’s old adage, “if you wouldn’t want to see it on the front page of the New York Times, don’t put it in writing,” you can steer clear of a lot of trouble. When in doubt, leave it out – but don’t forget to have fun, as well. Informed, intelligent use of social media can be rewarding and profitable. So use caution, but engage.

Layne Diehl is an attorney who is committed to supporting the legal needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs in the state of West Virginia. You can learn more about Layne by visiting her firm’s website at http://www.diehllaw.net, by liking her firm’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/diehllaw, or by following her on twitter at @laynediehl.

Disclaimer – This blog post is designed to provide general guidance about a limited few of the legal pitfalls associated with online activity, but is not intended to be an exhaustive discussion or a replacement for professional legal advice. If you have questions of a legal nature related to your online activity, you are advised to consult a licensed attorney experienced and competent in the areas of internet and social media law.

Image Credit: Michael Theis

Featured on Friday: Meet Our Buzz Builders – Edition 1

Success never happens in a vacuum, and we have found tremendous help in the form of our Team Buzz Builder community of bloggers and leadership experts. These faithful folks are some of the first to sign up for all of our book launch promotions, provide book reviews, share their online influence, and tell their friends about our authors. While we work with the authors and create the resources to share, it is Team Buzz Builder (TBB) who really help us spread the word.

Today, it’s our honor to share four of these fantastic people with you. Visit their blogs, follow them on social media, and get to know them. We know that you will go away energized and encouraged.

Meet Our Buzz Builders…

John Smith – Otherwise known as The Strategic Learner, John is regularly found sharing his “thoughts from the Heartland” on his blog. It’s hard to recall a book launch where John hasn’t been an active participant in our promotion campaign, and we appreciate his selflessness in promoting others. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Martina McGowam – Physician, leader, and active blogger, Martina McGowan is a faithful member of Team Buzz Builder, and always quick to jump in to support and promote those around her. Her blog is filled with positivity and encouragement, and she’s quick to encourage others to grow. We love that! Find her online: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Tanmay Vora – Bringing leadership experience and HR wisdom from India, Tanmay Vora takes an active role in TBB promotions. Tanmay has been blogging regularly since 2006, and in 2009 he published his first book, #QUALITYtweet, 140 Bite Sized Ideas On Practical Aspects Of Quality Management. This is a man that you’ll certainly want to add to your Twitter lists and Google+ circles. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Paula Kiger – Team Buzz Builder member Paula Kiger discusses running and books on her blog, Perspicacity. Known as the BigGreenPen on Twitter, she’s quick to join in on tweetchats, build community, and help out with book promotion, and she always has something interesting to add to the conversation. Look for her on Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

Join Team Buzz Builder

Would you like to join John, Martina, Tanamy, Paula, and the rest of Team Buzz Builder? Are you interested in reviewing preview copies of new leadership books?

We’re always looking for additional TBB members to help us spread the word about upcoming launches, and you can start by filling out a form.

As part of the team, you’ll receive early notice about upcoming launches, opportunities to sign up for free books, and be a part of an important and welcoming community of supportive people.

What are you waiting for? Join us today!

Featured on Friday: Meet Our Buzz Builders {Edition 1}

Success never happens in a vacuum, and we have found tremendous help in the form of our Team Buzz Builder community of bloggers and leadership experts. These faithful folks are some of the first to sign up for all of our book launch promotions, provide book reviews, share their online influence, and tell their friends about our authors. While we work with the authors and create the resources to share, it is Team Buzz Builder (TBB) who really help us spread the word.

Today, it’s our honor to share four of these fantastic people with you. Visit their blogs, follow them on social media, and get to know them. We know that you will go away energized and encouraged.

Meet Our Buzz Builders…

John Smith, otherwise known as The Strategic Learner, is regularly found sharing his “thoughts from the Heartland” on his blog . It’s hard to recall a book launch where John hasn’t been an active participant in our promotion campaign, and we appreciate his selflessness in promoting others. Follow him on Twitter ,  Facebook ,  Google+ , and LinkedIn .
Physician, leader, and active blogger, Martina McGowan is a faithful member of Team Buzz Builder, and always quick to jump in to support and promote those around her. Her blog is filled with positivity and encouragement, and she’s quick to encourage others to grow. We love that! Find her online: Facebook , Twitter , Google+ , and LinkedIn .
Bringing leadership experience and HR wisdom from India, Tanmay Vora takes an active role in TBB promotions. Tanmay has been blogging regularly since 2006, and in 2009 he published his first book, #QUALITYtweet , “140 bite sized ideas on practical aspects of Quality Management.” This is a man that you’ll certainly want to add to your Twitter lists and Google+ circles! Follow on Facebook , Twitter , Google+ , and LinkedIn .
Team Buzz Builder member Paula Kiger discusses running and books on her blog,  Perspicacity . Known as the BigGreenPen on Twitter, she’s quick to join in on tweetchats, build community, and help out with book promotion, and she always has something interesting to add to the conversation. Look for her on Twitter , Google+ , and LinkedIn .

Join Team Buzz Builder!

Would you like to join John, Martina, Tanamy, Paula, and the rest of Team Buzz Builder? Are you interested in reviewing preview copies of new leadership books? We’re always looking for additional TBB members to help us spread the word about upcoming launches, and you can start by filling out a form. As part of the team, you’ll receive early notice about upcoming launches, opportunities to sign up for free books, and be a part of an important and welcoming community of supportive people. What are you waiting for? Join us today!

Are You Happy Working at Home?

My home office is a delight to me. When I walk through the door and sit down at my desk, I feel a sense of relief. I am doing work I love, in a place I love, with and for clients (and a team) I love.

As the leader of a virtual team, comprised of contractors as young as 19 adding their talents to the mix, the last 16 months have shown me that working at home with a flexible schedule is not the right situation for everyone.

This summer, I attempted to work with an intern, fresh from his first year at college, a marketing major who hadn’t yet taken a marketing course. He had a lot to learn! But our free-style way of working didn’t fit his needs and the summer slipped by (I fear) without him learning/contributing all that he could have. As a leader, I take responsibility for that, at least partially.

If you are working with me, it’s my job to help you be successful in your work with my company. If you can’t be successful with me, then I need to help you be successful elsewhere by letting you go to find opportunities that will make your heart sing!

Are you happy working at home? If not, here are a few ideas that may help you find a work at home situation that is perfect for you.

1 – First, ask yourself these questions. What do I need to say no to? What are my priorities? What is “just perfect” about this situation? What balance is missing? (Hat tip to Mary Jo Asmus, who asked me those questions early in my work at home life. I wrote them on a sticky note that I still refer to frequently.) To be successful working at home, you must say no to some things. Asking these questions will help you find insight into what you could change to make your work at home situation work for you.

What will you say no to? What you say no to is more important than what you say yes to. I say no to phone calls between 3-4 pm so I can give my daughters attention after school. I say no to most activities during the school day (lunches out, etc) since that is my prime work time.

2 – Find an office outside your home where you can work, like a coffee shop or co-working facility. I’m an extrovert, so last fall, I felt really sad and lonely when all of my girls were in school for the first time. For several weeks, I would drop them off, and go to Starbucks  to work for a few hours before coming home. I would spend some time socializing and most of the time working. I’m so busy now with calls and meetings that I get plenty of interaction, but if your work is more solitary, finding a place to work with others may help you.

3 – Set a schedule for yourself, and plan enjoyable activities to look forward to around your work schedule. i.e. – plan to wake up at the same time each day, exercise at the same time, start your work day at the same time — and put cool stuff on your calendar in between (lunch with a friend, a small group, special time with your spouse, etc.) If needed, find an accountability partner to help you stick to your schedule.

4 – Ask others what has worked for them. If you work on a virtual team, ask members of the team what has worked for them!

5 - Plug into online interaction. I use Twitter and Facebook as virtual water coolers, places to take a break and interact in between tasks and meetings. Connecting online (for me) meets some of my socialization needs. I am happier working at home because of my ability to connect with people around the world with a few keystrokes.

6 – Figure out it this is a fit. It might be that you need a job with more people interaction. Or perhaps you need a job where you are an employee with set hours. Flexibility is a beautiful gift AND working flexibly on your own may not be the best for you during this stage of your life. Even though working at home may be just perfect for someone else, if you are not happy, give yourself permission  to consider what’s best for you.

Tell me something!  What tips to you have for how to be happy working at home? What has worked for you?

The photo is a corner in my home office. Isn’t it cozy?

How to Accept and Reject Guest Bloggers

Opening your blog up to guest bloggers can be a sensitive thing. You’re exposing your precious readers to someone who, besides the technological universe, is a stranger to you. How can you be sure this person will care for your pages and your readers as much as you?

The decision process can easily have you flip-flopping. Overwhelming submissions, unaccredited “link grabbers,” and submissions that have nothing to do with you or your brand may make you want to just call the whole thing off.

But don’t — opening yourself up to guest blogging can be a fulfilling and beneficial experience for a blog owner; you just need to get yourself properly set up. Follow these three steps, and then gladly open up the floodgates.

Protect Yourself.

The reason guest blogging may have you on the fence is because, well, it could potentially turn into a big pain in the butt. In order to avoid the headache, then, you’ve got to protect yourself by only letting qualified and caring guest bloggers get through.

Start out with a designated “guest blogger” tab. This will save your general contact email from an overload of offensively annoying emails that start with: “Didn’t know where to send this so…” Your guest blogger tab will present your guest blogger guidelines (which will have one carefully placed landmine).

Stay in control by designating a completely new email for guest blog submissions to be sent. Of course, be friendly and fair, but also be explicit in what you will and will not tolerate. I.e., “In an effort to keep this organized I’ll only be able to accept guest post submissions that are sent to this designated email. Submissions made through any other form of contact will unfortunately not be up for consideration.”

Finally, your landmine. This is what will set the champion bloggers apart from the lazy. You can make it as simple as a subject line request… and again, don’t be afraid to lay your terms out in simple black and white. I.e., “Be sure to type ‘Joyful Blogger’ in the subject line of your submission email. I’ll have to delete any submissions that are not labeled this way, thanks!”

A tactic like this makes it simple for you to weed out those who did not take the two minutes it takes to read your editorial guidelines. You won’t lose those submissions either, you’ll just know that — for the sake of your time, interest and effort — those entries deserve to be at the bottom of the pile for now.

Evaluate The Person, Exercise Your Calendar.

Before you invest the time in reading all of those submissions that got through, take a minute to learn about your author. Again, this can be something in your editorial guidelines as simple as requesting two sample links of relevant work.

When evaluating the authors, look at the type of audiences they write for and feel out if their tone and style is a compliment to your blog. Find out if they keep a solid reputation in the blogging community by keeping up with their own social media and by interacting with comments.

Once you streamline entries, you’ll read them and then select those that you want to publish. Decide your editorial needs before you go down this path (are you willing to publish a guest post one a week, what about once a day?). This decision will automatically create your editorial calendar and publishing pacing.

Follow Up.

Define in your guidelines how you plan on following up. Do yourself a favor and don’t be vague like, “We will contact you if we are interested,” because it will just flood your inbox with follow-up inquires even more.

Do both yourself and those guest bloggers a favor, and set a limit to reviewing submissions. I.e., “While I wish I could respond to everyone, due to overwhelming submissions I can’t. If I do not contact you within 10 days from your sent submission, please understand that I appreciate your effort but it was just not the right fit for my blog.”

By committing to only a 10-day submission window, it will naturally make you stay on top of things. It also is a fair way to let exclusive authors know where they stand so that after 10 days, they can try to get published elsewhere.

Finally, don’t be afraid to neither accept nor reject bloggers. You may encounter a post from time to time that has a great idea, or a strong voice, but the content just isn’t there yet. Take an extra step with potential and don’t be afraid to ask authors to give a draft a revision. Those that really want to get published will make the extra effort. If not, there’s plenty more guest bloggers in the deep, blue Internet Sea.

 

Share Your Thoughts!  What other ways can you make guest blogging work for you?

Kelly Gregorio writes about blogging trends and tips while working at Advantage Capital Funds, a merchant cash advance provider. You can read her daily business blog here.

Image Credit:  Stuart Miles / freedigitalphoto.net

Featured on Friday: Team Member Amy Driehorst

Curious about the Featured on Friday posts? Learn more.

This week, it’s time to meet another member of the Weaving Influence team. She’s reliable, funny, faithful, and refreshingly honest. After almost a year of getting to know her through our online work, I finally had the opportunity to meet her in person when she and her family came to my beautiful Appalachian mountains on vacation this summer.

If you’ve ever met an online-only friend, then you know how nerve wracking it can be – what if you don’t get along at all in real life? Thankfully, she was even more delightful in person, and it only made me sorry we don’t live closer. With that, I invite you to get to know Amy Driehorst…

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Amy…

After a 20 year career in retail sales and management, I “retired” when our fourth child was born. I imagine I’m one of a relatively small number of women who can say they retired and had a baby in the same year! My husband and I have been married for 21 years, and we are raising our children in the same small town in Michigan where I grew up. 

How long have you been working with Weaving Influence?

One year.

What’s your favorite aspect of working with Weaving Influence?

My favorite aspect of the job is the variety of work I am able to do. No two days are the same and I’m continually learning new things. It keeps me on my toes and ensures I don’t get bored or stuck in a rut.

What’s your official Weaving Influence job title?

Project Manager and Social Media Consultant

What’s your favorite pastime?

This may sound like a cliche, but being a mom is my favorite pastime. It’s what I really wanted to be when I grew up. I’m not a “baking-in-the-kitchen” all day or a “Pinterest-crafter-gone-wild” kind of mom. I’m just a mom doing her best every day to nurture and cherish the four precious gifts God entrusted me with.

What’s the best social media tip you can offer?

The best social media tip I have is: No matter your reason for participating in social media, be genuine, be original and be consistent. If you are each of those things, more people will be interested in what you have to say.

Tell us something unusual about yourself!

We are a multi-generational household. I care for my 85 year old mother who lives with us and has Alzheimer’s disease while still raising my four children ages 15, 12, 10 and 6. Here’s a recent photo of my with the loves of my life (the other love, is behind the camera!) from our family vacation to the Smoky Mountains.

Connect with Amy on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Share Your Thoughts! Have you ever met someone in person after getting to know them online? How did it turn out?

Best Book Launch Tips: Three Ways Authors Use Bonus Offers to Drive Sales

Buy my book, send me a receipt, and I’ll send you bonuses worth (insert $$ value here).

The practice of creating bonus offers to celebrate the launch of a book has been around a while, and doesn’t seem to be fading.

While the practice continues, it is shifting.

Bestseller Campaigns

Authors create bestseller campaigns, offering content from a variety of thought leaders, typically e-books or other digital products. They add up the value of each digital resource and arrive at an astounding large number. That large number, often in the hundreds of dollars, is bait — “Buy my $15 book and receive $769 worth of bonus material from these experts.”

These bestseller campaigns were/are effective for two reasons. The ideas is to involve an author’s influential friends, allowing an authors to expand the audiences for their book. This method is an exchange: the author features another thought leader’s content as a bonus while the thought leader agrees to email their list about the campaign, promoting the author. It’s meant to be win-win: the author sells more books while the network gets exposure for their content.

Questions: Does this method still work? Does anyone care about the digital bonuses? What is the open rate on the emails networks send? Have we grown immune to these offers? As we have access to unlimited resources on the web, does the offer for more free content drive book sales? Does anyone have time to read/consume the free content offered in bonus packages? If not, is it truly a win for the thought leaders offering content? If an author spends hours networking to create a bestseller campaign, is that effort worthwhile? Does it result in increased book sales?

The Modern Version, Two Ways

Launch Team Incentives Authors create exclusive launch teams, inviting online influencers to join in promoting their books. Often, joining a launch team involves an application process and participating is reserved to an select group. You may have to prove the strength of your network and your commitment level in order to participate. Some authors create a list of expectations for your participation — a lengthy list, balanced only by the long list of benefits they promise to you in exchange for your participation. Once you’re in, you are meant to feel like part of an elite few, with special access and goodies from the author. Bonuses for launch often include special access to the author, in exclusive calls or webinars.

Pre-sale or Launch Week Bonuses Unlike Gary Vanynerchuk and other authors who incentivize bulk sales, authors like Dan Pink and Michael Hyatt have pioneered bonus offers for individual sales. And, instead of offering bonuses of material from others, this method of launch offers includes bonus material from the author.

Pink created a First Mover offer to drive pre-sales of  To Sell is Human last year, and created offers more interesting and compelling than most, in my opinion. Hyatt offered a long list of bonuses with the purchase of his book, Platform, during launch week. These offers are designed to introduce urgency into the book selling process. Authors want to concentrate sales during one big week in order to reach bestseller status. Their bonuses are intended as a reward for your loyalty and book purchase. Most often, the bonus content offer is a complement to the book itself, related reading on the topic or exclusive souvenir type print material.

Questions: What results do authors experience when they create an exclusive launch team? Can any author leverage this method, or is it more effective for celebrity authors? What motivates people to join and serve faithfully on launch teams? Do bonus offers for individual sales work well? What percentage of people would buy the book anyway, if asked?

Tell me something! What tactics do you think work best? What motivates you to participate in a launch? Buy books?

P.S. For the most part, none of these tactics are a part of our process at Weaving Influence. Although we do work with a network of influencers, we don’t offer bonuses or have exclusivity or applications for participating in our launches. However, we are always watching what others do, learning from their best practices, and considering how to innovate the work we do in supporting authors in promoting their books.

Make it a Habit

I set my alarm for all-kinds-of-early today so I could try again at one habit I can’t seem to stick with consistently: running.

If you’ve read this blog for long, you know that I am an on-again-off-again runner. I do well for weeks (even months), and then I don’t. One reason I consistently fail in my plans to run consistently is that running is not a habit.

For my husband, running is a habit. He runs daily, at 5 am, before getting ready for work. He runs while he catches up on Sportscenter.

His physical strength and health reflect his consistent habit of exercise.

The only way for me to achieve the level of health and fitness I desire is to make exercise a habit.

So I’m trying this: a mile a day. If I get up at 4:30, I can put my running clothes on, run a mile, make coffee, and be at my desk by 5 am. I can get a bit of work done, get a shower, and be ready to help my girls prepare for school by 6 am.

It must be a habit.

One of the reasons people struggle at accomplishing their goals online is that blogging, tweeting, and connecting becomes on-again/off-again. Without a habit, without consistency, it is impossible to have a healthy online presence. Your health online (like health offline) requires that you choose a level of participation and make it a habit.

To begin to establish healthy online habits, consider what commitment level you are likely to commit to and sustain. As I start back to resume my running, I am starting with one mile because I can easily repeat my one mile habit. Is it all I’d like to do? No. However, it is a place to start. If your commitment level is a starting one, you can always increase and expand. Could you commit to one blog post every two weeks? One post a week? Three tweets a day? Choose something do-able and repeatable.

Plan for time off. Creating a consistent presence online does not mean you have to be online constantly. Consistency is not constancy. I can’t run every day, and you don’t have to show up online every day. Breaks and rest will allow you to enjoy your habit and will restore your creativity and joy in connecting online.

Create conditions for success. What steps do you have to take to ensure that you will follow through with planned social media habits? In order to run early, I MUST set out my running clothes the night before. I can’t rummage around in the dark, crashing into things and waking up my family. If you must, schedule time to show up online on your calendar like any other appointment. Or, if you plan to blog regularly, create an editorial calendar to capture ideas so that when you sit down to write, you are ready with a plan.

The only way to be successful online is to be consistent: consistent in connecting, consistent in adding value, consistent in showing up. In order to be consistent, you must create habits. Your health and success online will increase as you habitually write, connect, and share.

Tell me something! What habits have you established in using social media tools? How do you stay consistent?

photo credit eccampbell